Daily Mail – by Sophie Jane Evans
A licensed engineer who previously carried out work at the New York state prison where two killers escaped last weekend says the pair were either extremely proficient with power tools – or had help.
Larry Jeffords said on Thursday night that the work of cutting through a cell wall and a steam pipe at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora was done with a high degree of professionalism.
After this work was completed, inmates Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 34, crawled through the steam pipe, before emerging from a manhole outside the maximum-security prison and fleeing.
Jeffords said the quality of the drilling ‘tells me either [the pair] are very good at what they do, with a lot of good training. Or they had very good equipment. Or somebody else cut the hole for them’
The Jeffords Steel and Engineering owner, whose knowledge of the escape is only based on photos of the scene, added that he could not believe no-one had heard the work taking place.
![Holes: Jeffords said the quality of the drilling 'tells me either [the pair] are very good at what they do, with a lot of good training. Or they had very good equipment. Or somebody else cut the hole for them'. Above, two holes are pictured in a cell wall at the New York prison, from which Matt and Sweat escaped on Saturday](https://i0.wp.com/i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/06/12/06/296DCE3700000578-3120999-image-a-64_1434085244821.jpg?w=960)
He said cutting through the cell wall and underground steel pipe would have taken around four hours of continuous work – and would have resulted in loud noise, and lots of smoke and sparks.
‘I’m assuming it was a grinder, and then you were to start that grinder and (begin) cutting your way out. The grinding dust is tremendous – sparks, smoke,’ Jeffords told the Associated Press.
‘To do that with a grinder and to do as nice a hole as they did, I just can’t see it done.
‘I’m in the steel business and I’ve said before I could have sent my best man up there with an acetylene torch or a plasma cutter and I couldn’t have a better hole.’
During the breakout, Sweat and Matt used power tools to cut through steel and bricks before escaping from the prison, which is situated about 20 miles south of the Canadian border.
Prison officials found the inmates’ beds inside the 150-year-old Clinton Correctional Facility stuffed with clothes on Saturday morning in an apparent attempt to fool guards making their rounds.
It is believed they had several hours head start before the alarm was raised during the rounds at 5.30am. On a cut pipe, the prisoners left a taunting note containing a crude Asian caricature.
The note featured the words ‘Have a nice day.’ Matt and Sweat remained on the run Thursday.
Authorities suspect the inmates also had help from the inside in obtaining the power tools. Guards and other staff members have been questioned, but no one has been disciplined or charged.
Jeffords said that when he worked at the prison he was subject to daily searches entering and leaving the facility. A guard never left his side and all the equipment was inventoried, he said.
Earlier this week, it emerged that Joyce Mitchell, 51, an industrial training supervisor at Clinton Correctional Facility, had allegedly planned to be the prisoners’ getaway driver, but got cold feet.
The grandmother checked herself into hospital for nerves on the day of the elaborate jail escape.
On Thursday, it was claimed that officials with the New York State Department of Correction had previously investigated Mitchell over an alleged relationship with the younger inmate, Sweat.
However, the ultimately found there was not enough evidence to take further action against her.
The revelation came just hours after it emerged that the married prison staffer reportedly told investigators the other inmate, Matt, had ‘made her feel special’ and she ‘thought it was love’.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3120999/Expert-engineer-worked-Shawshank-escape-prison-says-convicted-murderers-professionals-help-cutting-cell-wall-steam-pipe.html#ixzz3csQu9MHP
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The top cut looks like a torch or a plasma cutter, whereas the sides look like a grinder with a cutoff blade. The top one is not a straight cut indicating some kind of torch, whereas the sides appear to be straight. Two methods or pre cut, Either way there is no way this could have been done without someone hearing it or smelling it. Soooo, the bigger question is how did they get the tools? A grinder may be possible but the torch or plasma cutter, nah I don’t think so.
Its Bull Sh.t, You do not run a 24″ steam pipe to a manhole. Steam systems are closed loop systems.
Bingo, my point exactly.
I thought this was a hoax, now it’s real? Which is it?
Yep. Looks professional alright. I wonder who the pigs hired to do the work? Don’t see any grinding dust either. The escapees must have cleaned up after themselves before they left. How considerate. Even with a cutting torch, there would be melt splatter in some places.
” After this work was completed, inmates Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 34, crawled through the steam pipe, before emerging from a manhole outside the maximum-security prison and fleeing. ”
Stop the clock:
Hummm, how did the, ahem, ” prisoners ” know about the steam pipe not being used ? Why would a steam pipe have access to a ” man hole ” ??? Did they have access to the blue prints of the building AND systems functioning and timing ? What about the noise of the alleged work ? Grind on an empty pipe that big, it will echo. Yet no one heard a thing ???
I call B.S. If it sounds too good to be true, it is. This is hollywood contrived psy-op crap in my opinion. Captain, this is not logical . . .
Very very clean work area. I have cut out a lot of steal in my day and there is a lot of dust and noise.
If using a grinder you would have use many blades to cut just the pipe.
And where did they get power from tools?
How did they then get power to work area?
How did they get out of the pipe?
It a steam pipe not like there is a door that opens from the inside of the pipe.
A steam pipe is a closed system.
Oh dear, what if the two Houdini escape artists access guns at a gun show without a background check and shoot up a bunch of people? And what if they use large magazines and “military style” firearms as well?
The plot thickens.
It took this long for other people to interpret the photo? I saw it the first day.
Just excuse me a minute while I run out to get a bigger shovel.
Remember your hip waders.
The ones that come clear up to my eyeballs?
“Andy Defrain, crawled through the bowels of the joo-pigs who produced that Piece of $hit movie to freedom, in Mexico!” And, if it weren’t for the popularity of prison movies, well, Morgan Freeman could be a “free man”.
Alright, I was slightly harsh on this jew loving movie, but, if you can block out all of reality and go with the gig, you’ll enjoy the “feel good”, heartwarming taste of true freedom they attempt to depict, all the while, still chased after by “the man”. Don’t get “sucked in” by these outright lies and attempts to re-write true history. Every major movie, from “Pearl Harbor” to “Zero Dark Thirty” is nothing but a joo attempt to whitewash and re-write history where they are the “victims” and the “Chosen Ones”. Don’t assume, be informed.